Chained Hearts
by pRinCess.aRiKa.13
Summary: Two kids, one boy and one girl, one promise. They promised each other, before they separate from each other that when they grow up, they'll see each other and be together. Ten years later, what happens one of them forgets? Read and find out.
1. Promise

aRiKa: hi guys.

yAn-yAn: eow awica-tan.

aRiKa: i recently finished doing Strawberries, now I'm going to do a Gakuen Alice fanfic.

yAn-yAn: good to see that you're going to start this story.

aRiKa: disclaimer please

yAn-yAn: aRiKa-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice

Summary: Two kids, one boy and one girl, one promise. They promised each other, before they separate from each other that when they grow up, they'll see each other and be together. Ten years later, what happens one of them forgets? Read and find out.

_***Ten years ago…***_

_Two seven year old kids were running away from their parents. They ran as far as their little legs can take them._

_They stopped by their usual spot, the big sakura tree, their secret haven, a place full of memories…_

"_Ne, Natsu-kun, looks like they aren't following us anymore." a girl with chocolate brown hair and eyes said to her friend._

"_Don't be so sure, Mimi-chan, we just shook them lose." a boy with raven black hair and crimson eyes said._

"_Ne, Natsu-kun." Mimi said, facing Natsu._

"_Nani?" Natsu said_

"_Do you remember when we first met?" she said_

"_How can I forget that? It happened on this exact spot." he said_

_***Flashback***_

_***Two years ago***_

_A little girl was crying and sat on the base of the roots of the tree. She failed to notice a boy napping on the tree branch. He woke up due to her cries and whimpers._

"_Oi ugly." he said_

_The girl looked up to see a boy with crimson eyes and black hair, looking at her, rather pissed._

"_What?" she said_

"_You disturbed me and my sleeping." he said_

_The girl then stopped crying._

"_Sorry 'bout that." she said_

"_Apology, not accepted…polkadots.." he said, tongue out._

_A new emotion was stirring up the girl, anger._

"_What….. You peeked on my panties, didn't ya?" she said_

"_No, I didn't. You practically showed them to me." he said, his emotion unchanged._

"_Whatever…" she said_

"_By the way, thank you for making me feel better." she said, with a smile, as the boy walked away._

_***Flashback over***_

"_Remembering that, is hilarious but I still don't get it." Mimi (Mikan) said_

"_Get what, Mimi-chan?" Natsu (Natsume) said_

"_I don't get it why do you have to move." Mimi said, tears slowly formed on her eyes._

"_Don't worry, I'll return here and find you, Mimi-chan, I promise." Natsu said, wiping some of Mimi's tears._

"_You really mean it?" Mimi said_

"_Of course." Natsu said_

"_But first, before you leave, let's make first a memory capsule." Mimi said_

"_What's that?" Natsu said_

"_It's a box filled with memories, so if we ever see each other again, we can open it and reminisce our childhood." Mimi said_

"_Okay, whatever you say." Natsu said._

_For the whole afternoon, they made a memory capsule. Inside it were their pictures, Usa-chan (Mikan's rabbit stuffed toy), the music box, some cool looking leaves, seashells from the last beach trip, and a letter sealed in an envelope._

"_Ne, Natsu-kun?" Mimi said_

"_Hm?" Natsu looked up to Mimi_

"_What's inside the letter?" Mimi asked._

"_You'll find out sooner, or later." Natsu said_

_Mimi didn't notice the slight tint of pink on her childhood friend's cheek._

_Then Natsume's dad arrived._

"_Well, goodbye Mimi-chan." Natsu said_

"_Bye!" Mimi said as tears slowly formed on her chocolate orbs._

"_Uhmm… Mimi-chan, one more thing." Natsu said, stopping on his tracks._

"_What is it, Natsu-kun?" Mimi said, tears still visible._

"_Keep this safe, for me. This will serve as when we see each other, I can immediately recognize you." Natsu said, putting on Mimi's hand something: a silver heart necklace._

"_Uhmm.. Natsu-kun, can you fasten this for me?" Mimi said_

"_Sure." Natsu said as he got the necklace and fastened it to her neck._

"_Arigato gozaimasu, Natsu-kun." she said, smiling, but her eyes say otherwise._

"_But how do I recognize you?" she said_

"_With this." he said, raising up his right arm, on his wrist was a silver cross bracelet._

"_Well then, goodbye Natsu-kun." she said, kissing his cheek._

_Natsu blushed a little._

"_Bye, Mimi." he said._

"_Bye." she said, as Natsu went to the car._

_The car moved, Mimi ran, chasing the car, and yelled "Don't forget your promise!"_

_Natsu replied "I won't. Promise._

aRiKa: well, that was chapter 1.

yAn-yAn: sorry 'bout the OoC fluff. She just can't resist.

aRiKa: don't forget to rate and review. :D


	2. Meeting

aRiKa: hey guys.

yAn-yAn: hello.

aNn-cHaN: aRiKa-chan!

aRiKa: Ann-chan! *glomps Ann*

yAn-yAn: minna, this is Ann-chan, she's also an otaku just like us.

aNn-cHaN: konichiwa! *smiles*

aRiKa: disclaimer, please.

aNn-cHaN: aRiKa doesn't own Gakuen Alice.

***cHaPtEr 2: They Meet Again***

_***Present time***_

Mikan, now seventeen, was waiting at the airport for her bestfriend who went to America, Chiu. They met when they were both freshmen, now they're seniors. Chiu went to America to study there, because her father had work there. Now for the first time, in three years, they can get back those years, because Chiu's now staying for good. Mikan was wearing an off-shoulder long sleeve knitted beige shirt, a black beret, denim mini skirt and cream knee high boots.

"Now Flight PRC113, America to Japan, now landing. I repeat, Flight PRC113, now landing." a voice said over the speaker.

***Mikan's POV***

That's Chiu's plane. Finally, after three years, she returned here. Since the woman in the speaker said that it's just currently landing, I'm going to buy myself a cup of milk latte first. I haven't eaten breakfast yet, ever since I heard that she's coming now, from her little sister, I instantly rushed here, and I'm starving, so maybe melon bread would do. I went to the coffee machine, inserted a few coins, and pressed "latte, extra milk". And out came a steamy cup of latte, just the way I like it. Then I went to a counter and bought melon bread. Boy, was I hungry, so I instantly opened the melon bread and started munching on it. But I failed to notice that there was someone in front of me, so I bumped into him, spilling my hot coffee all over him. He has piercing crimson eyes and messy raven hair

***Natsume's POV***

I have just arrived from America. I was wearing a black shirt under my jacket, jeans, and rubber shoes. I was really tired, so I put on my headphones, and listened to music. And this girl just had to come and spill her coffee all over my shirt.

"Sorry." the girl muttered. She was wearing a beige knitted shirt, and a mini skirt. She has that beautiful eyes…oh damn, what the fuck am I thinking?

"You shouldn't really be playing around her, little girl." I said. What, can a seventeen year old boy say something like that.

"Little? For your information, I'm seventeen years old, I live by myself for a while now." she answered to me.

"Whatever….polkadots." I said, as her skirt fluttered a little, and showed a little of her underwear.

"Pervert!" the girl yelled at me.

"Whatever." I said, walking away, before it catches more attention.

Then I saw Ruka running to my direction.

"Natsume, good to see you back in Japan. Ne, who was that girl?" Ruka asked

"Dunno." I said as we walked away.

***Mikan's POV***

That arrogant pervert! And yet, I thought at first that he was handsome. Screw him! He owes me a cup of latte!

"Mikan!" I heard a familiar voice calling to me. She has long black hair with red streaks, that has wavy ends, and green eyes. She was wearing a red striped bonnet, a red tank top with a black heart print, a denim mini skirt, which she has black leggings underneath, and checkered rubber shoes.

"Chiu!" I yelled back, hugging her.

"It's been so long since we saw each other." Chiu said

"Yeah." I answered to her.

"Ne, have you found him yet?" she eagerly asked.

"Unfortunately, I still haven't." I answered. It's been ten years since I made a promise to my childhood friend, but I don't remember his name, or his face. We promised each other that when we met again, we'll be together. Now, now, I know it's pretty childish to keep promises, I mean we're bloody seventeen now, but I never seem to forget about it. I still wear the necklace he gave me, I mean, it's pretty cute, so I can't just simply discard it.

"Ne, Chiu-chan." I said

"Nani?" she said

"I heard you're now an Alice." I said

"Yep." she said

"So it is true! What's your Alice?" I asked

"I think you should say Alice**s**. Uhmm…Mind Control and Plant Control." she said, rather proudly.

"*cough**cough*Control freak*cough**cough*" I said

"What?" she said

"Nothing. C'mon, let's go home, Aya and the others are waiting." I said

"Okay." And we went home.

***Natsume's POV***

I saw the girl from earlier leave the airport with her friend.

"Natsume." Ruka said

I looked up to him, knowing acknowledgement.

"Have you found her yet?" Ruka asked

"Nope." I answered. He's talking about my childhood friend I made a promise to before I went to America.

"How do you know if it's her?" he asked.

"I gave her a silver heart necklace before I left for America." I said

"Dude, there is a lot of girls here who wears a heart necklace. How on earth will you identify her?" he said.

"Simple. That necklace I gave her was specially made, I made sure no one makes a design like that." I answered nonchalantly.

"O.o Woah, dude." he asked.

"And you're still shocked, after those years?" I said

"Yeah, a little." he said.

"Well, let's go home, Tsubasa-senpai and the others are waiting." he said

I just nodded.

aRiKa: that was chapter 2

yAn-yAn: you made Natsume curse.

aRiKa: as if that's new.

aNn-cHaN: please don't forget to rate and review. btw, aRiKa-chan wants to thank you for the reviews. ^_^


	3. School

aRiKa: hi guys

yAn-yAn and aNn-cHaN: hello!

aRiKa: Ann-chan, did you understand what I said on the phone?

aNn-cHaN: hai, aRiKa-chan.

yAn-yAn: what are you two talking about?

aRiKa: earlier today, I told Ann-chan the steps on how to make a fanfic.

yAn-yAn: she has a fanfiction account?

aRiKa: yep ^_^

yAn-yAn: oh ok.

aRiKa: anyways, disclaimer please.

Mikan: aRiKa-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice

***cHaPtEr 3: Enrollment***

Mikan and Chiu made their way to Alice Academy, and so did Ruka and Natsume

_~At the academy~_

***Aya's POV***

Anna and me are the only since Nonoko was busy with her experiments, Hotaru was busy making an invention, Sumire went somewhere, and Misaki-senpai was still in her class.

"Ne, Anna-chan." I said

"Nani?" Anna replied.

"Did you and Chiu-chan ever met?" I asked

"Nope. but I knew her, since she was Miss Popular back when we were freshmen." she answered

"Really?" I asked again

"Yep. You should have seen the boys' reactions when she left. Some of them were even crying." she answered

"Woah, I never expected it." I said, giggling.

"Aya!" a familiar voice said. I know that voice anywhere, and saw Chiu.

"Chiu!" I said, running to her and hugging her.

"Wait, you know each other?" Mikan and Anna said, suprised

"Of course, she's my cousin." Chiu simply said.

"Cousins? Aya-chan, why didn't you tell us?" Anna asked

"I never told you because you didn't bother to ask. Didn't you notice the "-chan"? " I said

Her mouth formed an "o". "Is that so?" she said

"Yep." I said.

"Okay guys, enough of the chitchat, let's tell the principal that Chiu's here." Mikan said

"Hai." and out we went.

***Tsubasa's POV***

Where could that kid went? It's already been two hours. Maybe his plane got delayed...Nah, there is no way that kid's plane going to be delayed. Then I heard footsteps, probably them. Koko and Kitsuneme was playing with their PSPs, Yuu was busy reading his book, so I'm pretty much the only one who isn't preoccupied, oh well.

Then the door opened, revealing Natsume and Ruka.

"Hi guys!" Ruka said

"Hn." was all Natsume said, and went to the bed.

Natsume went pass me and I smell milk latte, and he looked pissed.

"What happened, what took you so long?" I asked

"Natsume bumped against the girl,... and she accidentally spilled her steaming hot coffee all over Natsume's shirt." Ruka said

"Oh, that explains why he's so pissed." I said, getting the drill.

"C'mon, we still need to tell the principal Natsume's here, and get his room assignment." Ruka said

And out the three of us went to the principal's office.

_~At the principal's office~_

***Normal POV***

Mikan entered the room with Chiu, Aya and Anna.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, uncle Kazu." Mikan said.

"Oh hi Mikan-chan. What can I help you?" Kazu, the high school principal, and Mikan's uncle, said

"Remember the girl I told you yesterday?" she said

"Yeah, the one named "Chiu Suzumiya", right?" her uncle said

"Yup, she's the one, she arrived and she's with me." she said

"Really? Where is she?" her uncle said

"Over here, Yukihira-sensei." Chiu said

"Nice to meet you, Suzumiya-san, here is your ID, your uniform, and the key to your room. Your personal belongings are inside your room, and so are your school things..."

Then a knock on the door was heard...

"Come in." Kazu said

Three boys entered. One was definitely older, one had blonde hair, and one looks too familiar to Mikan, can it be?

"YOU!" Mikan said pointing to Natsume

Natsume raised his right eyebrow, and was looking at Mikan strangely.

"You're the pervert from the airport!" Mikan blurted out

"Pervert? I dunno know what you're talking about." Natsume said

Mikan wanted to hurt Natsume so bad, too bad Chiu and Aya were holding her off.

"Mikan-chan, chill, here eat this." Anna said, giving Mikan a cookie.

"Ok." Mikan said, getting the cookie from Anna. Her and her sweet tooth.

She ate it and immediately relaxed.

"Well, we're off. Arigato gozaimasu." Anna said, bowing, before leaving with her group.

"Well, Hyuuga-san, glad to see you're back." Kazu said

"Hn." was all that Natsume said.

"Here's the key to your room, you know the drill. If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend" Kazu said, rising up and going out the room.

Soon after, they did the same.

_~Meanwhile, on Mikan's special star bedroom~_

***Mikan's POV***

I can't believe that creep from the airport is going to study here!

Somebody was knocking on my door.

"I'll get it." I said, going to the door.

I opened the door, revealing Permy, Nonoko-chan, and Hotaru-chan.

"Sumire-chan! Nonoko-chan! Hotaru-chan!" Chiu said, embracing the three.

"Chiu-chan!" Nonoko said

"Chiu!" Sumire said

"Baka #2." Hotaru said, holding her baka gun.

BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!. Three shots were fired, and Chiu was out cold. I animatedly poked her with a stick. (aRiKa: xD )

Chiu woke up, rubbing her head, which now has three small bumps.

"Ne, where's Anna-chan?" Nonoko asked.

"In the kitchen, baking cookies." I said

"Oh, okay, I'm going to check if she already finished baking them." she said

"Okay." I just answered.

After a few minutes, Nonoko came back, and told us the cookies were ready, and Anna followed her a little after she said that. Anna baked us some star shaped cookies.

She gave us each a piece.

"Arigato." I said, and took a bite at the cookie.

"Oishi!" I said.

"Glad you like it, Mikan-chan." Anna said, smiling.

Soon after we ate the cookies, Chiu told us about her life in the suburbs in America.

_~Over to where Natsume is~_

***Natsume's POV***

Argh, why did I even return to this wretched school? Uhm,…oh yeah, they let the students now to roam free, no strings tied.

"Natsume?" Ruka said

I looked up, as if asking him to continue.

"We're here." he said.

I just inputted the key to the keyhole at the door. According to that annoying guy earlier, I'm a special star, because of my Alice. Well, as if that's new. Then I heard screams, there's one so familiar, oh kami-sama, don't tell me….

"Oh, you're a special star, that's odd; I thought Mikan-chan was the only one." Tsubasa said.

Oh, crap… why did I do wrong for kami to punish me like this? Uhmm.. oh yeah, I met her. Then Ruka interrupted my thoughts.

"Ne, Natsume, aren't you going to open the door?" he said.

I simply turned the knock, opened the door and went straight to the bed, to get some sleep and forget about Polka. I think the two immediately understood and left me alone to rest.

aRiKa: well that was chapter 3. i hope you don't mind the OCs (Chiu and Aya) I inputted.

yAn-yAn: uhmm.. aRiKa-chan, should you tell them about that?

aRiKa: sure I guess. uhmm.. readers, forgive me but updates are going to be slower, since I'll be busy with the holidays, and dreaded school. But I'll try to update every week. thanks for those lovely reviews. :D

aNn-cHaN: forgive us, we're only freshmen, so gomene.

yAn-yAn: please don't forget to…

aNn-cHaN: ..rate and review. ^u^


	4. Partners

Ga aRiKa: konichiwa minna.

aNn-cHaN: konichiwa aRiKa-chan.

yAn-yAn: yo!

aRiKa: this chapter was supposed to be posted last Saturday,...but I forgot about it since my mom was forcing me to do my assignments first. =.= so hontou gomene.

yAn-yAn: anyways, disclaimer please, Mikan-chan.

Mikan: aRiKa-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice

aRiKa: now, please enjoy this chapter.

yAn-yAn:...and also forgive aRiKA-chan if the last chapter was messy. x.x

*cHaPtEr 4: Partners and their sides of the story*

***Mikan's POV***

Yay! Chiu-chan's now studying at Gakuen Alice! I hope she's on my class!

Our homeroom teacher, Narumi-sensei entered.

"Okay class, we have new students." he said

Then the class was whispering to each other, except Ruka-pyon, Iinchou, Koko, Kitsuneme,, Hotaru, Permy, Anna, Aya and Nonoko. I know why the girls are, but why the boys?

"You may come in now." Narumi-sensei finally said. A familiar girl with black hair with red streaks, and green eyes, Chiu!

"Ohayo gozaimasu, I'm Chiu Suzumiya, please take care of me!" Chiu said, cheerfully before bowing.

The boys immediately swooned.

Then a boy with raven hair and crimson eyes entered,….and walked straight to his seat.

"Aww…Natsume-kun, you're no fun." Narumi-sensei said, poutingly.

"Hn." was all that boy said. I looked at him, and….holy kami, he's the pervert yesterday! I can't believe he's studying here, and at my class too! What bad luck!

Narumi-sensei was nearing his hand at his alice restraining earring. "What? I beg your pardon." he cooed.

Natsume stood up, and said "Natsume Hyuuga." And went back to his seat beside Ruka-pyon... hold up, what? Ruka-pyon? I looked again and saw Ruka talking to him, and he was responding. Don't tell me they're friends?...That can't be, they're exact polar opposites… I'll just ask Ruka-pyon later.

I felt that the chair next to me moved and somebody sat. I looked at my left and saw Chiu waving at me. "Chiu-chan! We're on the same class! Yay!" I said at once, and we began chatting, since Narumi-sensei left, saying he has a meeting to attend.

_*Later, at lunch time*_

***Mikan's POV***

I spotted Ruka-pyon going to the forest.

"Ruka-pyon!" I said

He faced me, and said "Nani, Mikan-chan?" with a smile

"Who's Hyuuga-san for you?" I asked, curious.

"Natsume? He's my childhood friend, we attend the academy the same time when we were kids, he had to leave for America when he was seven, so he changed schools, and now he's back. Why asking?" Ruka-pyon answered.

"Oh, okay. I was just curious why you were so close to Hyuuga-san, that's all." I said innocently. Well, it was true….an idea popped on my head….Ruka-pyon kinda looks like Ruru-kun from my 1st grade class! "Ruru-kun..?" I whispered, but it seems Ruka-pyon looked at me. "Huh? What did you say, Mikan-chan?" he said politely.

"Ruru-kun." I said, dumbfounded.

"….Mimi-chan?" he said.

"Ruru-kun….Ruru-kun! So it is you." I said, smiling.

"Mimi-chan,….ne, have you find Natsu-kun yet?" he asked.

Who?

"Natsu-kun? Who's that?" I said, confused.

"Uhmmm….he's the boy you had a promise to, don't you remember him?" he said

"Oh, him….I'm afraid I still haven't." I said, I still don't remember him, but now I know his name, but still no clue where he is.

"Well then, I wish you good luck on finding him. I got to go somewhere. Ja ne." he said, walking away.

I waved at him goodbye. Then something popped in my head, I yelled "Don't tell anyone, okay?"

He nodded, and yelled something. "I will, and one more thing, Mikan-chan, Natsu-kun is studying here in the academy again. Well then, ja ne."

Wait, what?

***Ruka's POV***

Mikan really is Mimi, I knew it. Then Natsu was….Natsume. Should I tell Natsume?...Nah! It's their love story so they need to find out on their own. I used to harbor feelings for Mikan, but now that I know she's Mimi, I'm going to give up on her and let her be, with his prince, Natsume.

I went to the sakura tree we used to hang-out at school when Natsume and I were kids. There, I saw Natsume on the base of the tree, reading his precious manga.

"Ruka." he said, not even looking up from his manga.

"Nani?" I answered.

"I forgot to ask, do you have any information about Mimi?" he asked

"Uh-huh, but only one." I said

"What is it?" he asked, pretty much curious.

"I know that Mimi-chan is studying here in the academy." I answered

"Really?" he asked

"Yep, but I'm not sure what class is she." I said

I think he pretty much figured out I'm finished, so he remained silent.

_*Meanwhile, in the dorms*_

***Mikan's POV***

Natsu-kun's here! I can't believe it! But I still don't have an idea what he looks like and what class is he. Darn, I forgot to ask Ruka-pyon, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't know either…Oh well, I'm too tired and lazy to ask Ruka-pyon, so I'll just ask him tomorrow.

_*The next day…*_

My alarm clock rang. Maybe five more minutes…After about 30 minutes, I looked at my clock, and saw 7:45 in bright red neon numbers….Uh-oh, I'm late for class! I quickly made my way to the bathroom and took a shower. After that, I quickly wore my uniform, and shoes. I wore the silver heart necklace that Natsu-kun gave me before he leaves for America. I grabbed my bag, and went to my classroom. I saw Narumi-sensei discussing something, or so I thought. I opened the door.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Narumi-sensei, hontou gomenasai for being late." I said, bowing.

"It's okay, Mikan-chan, I was just checking the attendance, is all. I was about to call out your name, when you opened the door, so I won't consider you late." he said

"Arigato gozaimasu, Narumi-sensei." I said

"Do itashimashite, now, Mikan-chan, please go to your seat." He said

"Hai." I said, as I made my way to my seat/

Narumi-sensei checked the attendance, and when he finished…

"Okay, now, we need to assign Natsume-kun and Chiu-chan partners. So…." he said

"Chiu-chan would be partnered with Aya-chan….."

The boy whined.

"…, while Natsume-kun would be paired with…."

A lot of girls were crossing their fingers…..

"….Mikan-chan!" Narumi-sensei said.

What? Me? Sensei, why did you pair with the short browed pervert?

The girls were now glaring at him, and thinking about killing me.

Natsume chorused. "Hey homo, why'd you pair with Polka?"

Polka?...PERVERT! 

"I paired you with her, since she's the only one without a partner." Narumi-sensei simply answered.

***Natsume's POV***

Damn homo, he paired me up with Polka….I glanced at Polka and saw something shiny and silver on her necklace, she was too far so I shook it off.

Once again, that homo teacher left again, saying he has something to attend, so I just lazily grabbed my manga and started reading.

***Normal POV***

They were busy with things, that they didn't notice the eyes lurking at Natsume, eyes that has a hint of evil at it.

aRiKa: that was chapter 4

yAn-yAn: I wonder who that is.

aNn-cHaN: I know who that is.

aRiKa: Ann-chan, of course you know. You're the one who thought of this idea.

yAn-yAn: is that true?

aNn-cHaN: yep *nods*

aRiKa: thanks for the reviews.

yAn-yAn: please don't forget to….

aNn-cHaN:….rate and review! ^^


	5. Kidnapping

aRiKa: konichiwa minna.

yAn-yAn: hi'ya!

aNn-cHaN: konichiwa. ^_^

aRiKa: today, in this chapter, we're going to play with a character…and we're going to test it on Natsume-kun.

yAn-yAn: who's this character you're talking about?

aRiKa: take a wild guess.. *gives yAn-yAn and aNn-cHaN the manuscript*

aNn-cHaN and yAn-yAn: okay! ^w^

aRiKa: disclaimer please. :D

Mikan: aRiKa-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice.

*cHaPtEr 5: Kidnapping*

***Recap***

_They were busy with things, that they didn't notice the eyes lurking at Natsume, eyes that has a hint of evil at it. _

"_Natsume-kun, you will be mine!" a female voice said_

***Recap end***

***Natsume's POV***

I'm so damn bored. Might as well pass time reading manga. Hold on,…

I looked at Polka, and saw something familiar, but somehow can't put my finger on it. Hn, I'll just shake it off.

After half an hour, I finished my manga, so I closed it and took a nap. It was lunch time anyways. They went out anyways to the cafeteria so I'm alone here….or so I thought. I heard footsteps, those out of those stupid high heels, then something with a really strong scent was on me, and I blacked out. (aRiKa: in advance, I'm very much sorry for making Natsume weak here. ._.)

***Normal POV***

"Koizumi-sama, you got your wish. He's weak, at the moment, so where do I bring him?" a man with a bonnet and leather jacket said.

(now, readers, you probably know who Koizumi is. ._.)

"Good, now into the car, and bring him to the warehouse." Luna commanded.

"Right away." her henchman said, and carried Natsume into the car.

_***Half an hour later, at the warehouse***_

***Natsume's POV***

I slowly open my eyes. Damn, my head fucking hurts! Where am I? Then I smell the ocean and some heady perfume.

The door opened, revealing someone….

"Oh, Natsume-kun, you're awake." the woman said

"Koizumi." I said.

_***Meanwhile….***_

***Mikan's POV***

Where is Natsume-kun? I haven't seen him since Narumi-sensei left us, where could he be?... Why would I even care! He's pretty much old enough to take care of himself….but why do I feel a pang of worry when I'm thinking about him?

"Mikan-chan?" Ruka-pyon said

"Nani?" I said

"Have you seen Natsume?" he asked

"Nope, I haven't. Sorry." I said

"Oh." he said, then looked a bit tad worried.

"Why? I thought you two are pretty much together everyday since he transferred." I asked

"We are, but he stayed at the room, and when I returned, he was gone." He said

"Have you searched the whole school?" I asked with a little sense of worry.

He nodded.

"We should look for him." he said.

"Okay, I'll help." I said

We searched for Natsume in the whole school, but still no sign of him. Oh well, might as well, try to find his tracks using ESP. If you're asking why I just used this, it's because I didn't have enough energy to do it. =.=

I closed my eyes, and focused on his spirit…..There! I feel his spirit, he's tied up and there's a female, the ocean and he's at sort of a warehouse….He's at the Miyazuki pier!

I ran as fast as I could, then Ruka hollered. "Mikan-chan, where are you going?"

"Miyazuki pier! Natsume's there!" I hollered back.

"Would you like me to come with you?" he asked

"No, I'm fine by myself, remember? I used to do missions for the academy. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Well then, ja ne" I said, then started using my alice of flying. It seems easier. Moments later, I arrived at the Miyazuki pier.

_***Meanwhile***_

***Natsume's POV***

"Koizumi." I said

"Koizumi? That's not a nice thing to call your fiancée." she said

"Who ever told you you're my fiancée?" I said harshly.

"Mom did, before she died. She said we were engaged when we were kids." she said, boastfully.

"Feh, as if I agreed." I said. No way in hell is she my fiancée!

"There's nothing you can do, Koizumi. I'm already engaged to someone." I said smugly.

"Yeah, I know, to me, right?" she said feeling ever so correct.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it isn't you. I'm engaged to Mimi." I said smirking.

"Mimi? That girl you met and ran with ten years ago? Don't make me laugh, I look more beautiful than the bitch anyday." she said.

"Yeah, whatever, keep telling yourself that, but you still can't get me." I said.

Then I heard yells in the distance, "Natsume-kun? Where are you?" A female voice, so shrill, and too irritating to forget, Polka.

Koizumi looked rather pissed. "You found her already?" she asked.

"Yep. In fact, she's in the country and is my classmate." I said

"Is that so? Then if I can't have you, nobody can." she said, pulling out a gun. She really had gone nuts. She thinks I'm engaged to her, now she's going to kill me and drag me to hell with her. She seriously have some screws loose.

"Say your last words, Natsume-kun." she said, reloading her gun.

"Hn, stupid bitch." I said.

She fired a shot, I braced for impact but it never came. Instead, I felt something protecting me. I opened one eye, and saw Polka making a barrier. She then fell to her knees, looking a lot weak. She hugged me and said "Thank goodness, I found you." I blushed a little, but shook it off. Anger got the best of me, I was about to hit Koizumi with a fire ball when she pointed the gun at Polka. "Is this the Mimi-chan you're talking about? She's so damn weak! You're better off with me." she said. I tried to contain my anger, but can't. Is this girl really close to me more than I think she is? I was about to burn my hand, when reinforcements came.

I carried Polka's body, and at the corner of my eye, I saw them capture Koizumi without any hassle.

"Ruka." I said

"Nani?" he said

"How'd you find us?"

"Well, Mikan-chan told me where she was going before she ran her way here." he explained.

So that's why she was kinda weak when she arrived here.

"Don't worry, she's going to be okay after two days of rest. She'll be better before the field trip, so don't worry so much." he said.

Good to hear that, for a second there, I was protective of her. I wonder why?

aRiKa: that was chapter 5.

yAn-yAn: can't wait for the next chapter, though I already know what will happen.

aNn-cHaN: really? mind telling me?

yAn-yAn: sorry, but I can't. I promised aRiKa I won't tell.

aNn-cHaN: oh okay. I'll just wait.

aRiKa: don't forget to rate and review, and thank you for the review. ^^

Hint/s for the next chapter: trip, revelations, sakura tree.


	6. Trip

aRiKa: konichiwa minna.

aNn-cHan: konichiwa aRiKa-chan. :D

yAn-yAn: *went out to the store*

aRiKa: looks like we're the only ones here since yAn-yAn is busy with something.

aNn-cHaN: you're right. anyways, disclaimer please ^w^

Chiu: aRiKa-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice.

*cHaPtEr 6: A Field Trip*

_***Two days later since the incident...***_

***Normal POV***

Mikan was now conscious, and is now allowed to be up from bed. She looked better, except for little scratches here and there. Natsume was really worried about her, but never understood why. Hotaru was busy making new inventions, probably for spying and her own use.

Mikan was now healthy so she was allowed to attend classes again. She entered the room, passing a note to Narumi, even though he pretty much knew why she was absent.

"Good to see you back, Mikan-chan!" Narumi said to Mikan. She just flashed a smile at him.

Her friends immediately ask her what happened, why she was absent. She told them she was just sick with fever, that's all, because she knew she told them she drained her energy in using too much Alice , they would be so worried. The class were noisy and rowdy, talking about the latest gossips, and showing some new moves.

Then Narumi said "Pay attention, class. This is an announcement about the field trip."

Then the class went from noisy to dead silent.

Narumi cleared out his throat, "Okay, class. For the first time in Gakuen Alice history, you're now allowed to have a field trip outside of school. We will be having our field trip on Friday, which is two days from now. Our field trip would be in the countryside. We'll be staying in a hot springs house for a week. You are free to roam around the town when we get there. So don't forget your things for Friday, okay?"

The class cheered. For the first time, they are going to have a field trip, and the great thing about is that they'll be staying for a week! How cool is that!

"Uhmm...Narumi-sensei, I'm just curious but who are our seatmates for the trip?" Inchou asked.

"Good question, Tobita-kun. Your seatmates would be your partners." Narumi simply said.

"EH?" Mikan said

"What is it, Mikan-chan?" Narumi asked.

"You're telling me I'm stuck with Natsume?" Mikan asked.

"Yep, and also they'll be your roommates since there are two beds in one room." Narumi said.

Both Mikan and Natsume flashed a "What the heck?" face.

"B-but Narumi-sensei, can I just be paired with Hotaru?" Mikan asked, looking hopeful at Hotaru. Then Hotaru rose up her right arm, showing a handcuff that is connected to one of Ruka's wrist. Narumi sneakily cuffed Mikan to Natsume.

"And there." Narumi said, smiling.

"What the fuck are you doing, you gay bastard?" Natsume growled at Narumi.

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention a small thing, you will be handcuffed to your partner for nine days. No matter how hard you try, you can't break it with your Alice, or anything for that matter. There is only one way to unlock it, and it is that, any faculty opens it with the key they have. Okay class, au revoir." Narumi said, leaving.

To be honest, there are two ways: one is what Narumi mentioned, and the other is both who are chained show pure feelings, through actions or words.

Narumi left, so the class was rowdy again. Some were whining, because of the cuffs, while the girls were glaring at Mikan. She, on the other hand, was paying no attention to Natsume, and focusing her attention on Chiu.

"Wah! Why am I stuck to that short-browed perverted fox?" Mikan said crying.

"There, there, Mikan-chan, I'm sure everything will be alright." Chiu said, comforting Mikan

Natsume on the other hand….

"Damn, why am I stuck to the girl who still wears polka dotted underwear, despite she's already in her senior year?" Natsume growled.

"Aw, c'mon. Mikan-chan's not that bad, maybe you'll even find something you're looking for in her." Ruka said

Natsume looked at him weirdly. He seems to notice Ruka knows something, but immediately shook it off, realizing that the countryside Narumi was talking about was the place they grew up, where he made a promise to his childhood friend, before he left for America.

"Maybe you're right, Chiu. It is the place where Natsu-kun and I had a promise. I just hope he still remembers me." Mikan said smiling, replying to Chiu's encouragement.

"Great to see your spirits brighten, Mikan-chan." Chiu said with a smile.

"Ne, Natsume-kun. I need to go to the bathroom badly." Mikan said, Natsume ignoring her.

"Hey! Natsume-kun!" Mikan said, throwing some random object from her table. It was a notebook.

"Polka! Why'd you throw a damn thing on me!" Natsume growled at Mikan.

"Because, I was telling you I need to go to the bathroom, and you're not freaking listening! As you can see, we're chained to each other!" Mikan yelled back at Natsume, loudly that the whole class heard it, and looked at them, not that Mikan cared.

She then made her way out of the door, pulling Natsume along with her, using Strength Alice. Mikan was stomping, and Natsume was just walking. "Strange, just now, she acted like Mimi, when she's angry, could it be….? Nah! It can't be, this girl's way too irritating to be her, I mean Mimi is more bearable than her." Natsume thought to himself.

She stomped to the girls' comfort room, swiped her card on the detector, opened the door, and immediately closed it. (aRiKa: the detector was inputted because the boys used to peek at the girls while they're changing, so the school developed it, restraining the boys to peek on the girls, physically, or Alice , the chain of the cuffs are long, so pretty much Natsume won't be pulled along on the inside of the CR.)

After three minutes, Natsume growled "Aren't you finished yet?"

"Wait a little longer, I'm almost finished." Mikan said

"Whatever, just be quick about it." Natsume answered.

When his patience was dangerously low, he started to walk away with Mikan, on tow.

"H-hey!" Mikan said

Natsume looked back, only to see Mikan eating a red lollipop.

"You were damn taking long, just because of a lollipop?" Natsume growled, angrily.

"But it's strawberry-cherry, and I can't open it. When you asked me if I'm done, I said for a moment, because my skirt caught on fire, and I was putting out the fire. I was using fire alice to burn the plastic off, when I was done, you spoke, making the ember fall into my skirt." Mikan said, matter-of-factly.

Natsume just ignored. He still can't believe he was so unfortunate to be stuck to this loud girl for ten agonizing days. Those two days flew fast, and there always something that happens every morning ever since they got chained to each other. One time, when Mikan and Natsume was sleeping on Natsume's bed, (aRiKa: don't ask why.) Mikan pushed Natsume off the bed, _**his**_ bed.

Another was Mikan was choosing her clothes, when Natsume started burning her towel, bless her, she had undergarments, to a crisp.

Mikan looked cute, she was wearing a white spaghetti top, denim mini skirt, and laced peach-pink sandals, while Natsume looked absolutely cool, he was wearing a black shirt, leather jacket, board shorts, and his black sneakers. Together, they both look hot for the eyes of their classmates, but to each other, they're absolutely irritating. The moment they entered, Mikan grabbed her I-pod, and listened to some beats, while Natsume grabbed his manga, and read from the part he left off. After a few moments, they were both asleep, Mikan sleeping on Natsume's shoulder, while Natsume was sleeping on top of her head. Hotaru grabbed her camera, and took a photo of it, knowing it would be sold out, at the moment her store opens.

After a few hours, they arrived at the countryside. Ruka shook Natsume, telling him they arrived at the destination, then he tried to wake Mikan up, so Natsume gave it a shot, he flicked her forehead, almost instantly she woke up. "Ow! Why'd you flick me for?" she said, angrily, rubbing her forehead.

"We're here, Mikan-chan." Ruka said.

"Is that so? Then come on." Mikan said, as she gathered her things. Natsume did the same, and they both got out the bus. The moment they went down, they both thought "This place hasn't changed a bit. It's still the same old place, after ten years."

They went to the assembly hall, and were given their room assignments. They went to their room and put down their stuff there. Mikan, after putting her bag down, made her way to the door, while Natsume was sitting on his bed, they felt a strong tug at each other.

"Where do you think you're going, little girl?" Natsume said.

"Outside, at the park. Anna told _**us**_ to go there." Mikan said, innocently.

"I'm not going." Natsume said

"You're not going? Oh well, I hate to do this, but please?" Mikan said using voice pheromone alice.

"Okay, whatever." Natsume said, following Mikan.

"Hontou? Arigato." Mikan said, dragging Natsume, who at the moment, has no idea why he agreed.

They went to the park, only to see their friends.

"Hi guys!" Mikan cheerfully said

"Konichiwa, Mikan-chan." they said.

"Okay, spill people, why do you want us here?" Mikan asked.

"Uhmm…nothing, we just want to eat here, is that much of a big deal?" Anna said

"No, I guess. Oh well…." Mikan said, sitting on her place.

They were eating lunch under the shade of a sakura tree.

"Itadakimasu!" Mikan said, before eating the bento Anna gave.

While they were eating, Ruka said "Say, this place is really familiar."

"You've got a point, Nogi. It is familiar." Hotaru said.

"Wasn't this the place we used to play together when we were kids, Natsume?" Ruka said

Natsume just nodded.

"Hontou? This was a place of memories, for us, right, Hotaru-chan?" Mikan said, taking a bite of her ebi tempura.

Hotaru nodded.

"And also at this very place, we saw two kids, the same age as the two of us, promising to each other…..and there's a weird thing about it. The kids looked a lot like Mikan-chan and Natsume." Ruka said, looking at Mikan and Natsume.

Mikan and Natsume grew silent. They were thinking it's true that they made a promise to a childhood friend of them here, but it's pretty much impossible, that the other was their childhood friend, or so they thought.

"Ne, Natsume." Mikan said

Natsume sipped his soda.

"Can you come with me? I want to go somewhere. It used to be my favorite place, when I stayed here for vacation, ten years ago." Mikan said

"As if I got a choice." Natsume said, standing up, and dusting off his shorts, and they started walking towards the direction of the old house Mikan used to live in.

As they reached the place, Natsume looked at the surroundings, "This place seems familiar." he thought to himself. Mikan stopped at the old sakura tree,knelt in front of it, and started digging. Natsume noticed it.

"Ne, Polka, what are you doing?" Natsume asked

"What does it look like? I'm digging." Mikan said, looking at Natsume, the necklace hanging on her neck. Natsume noticed it, and it was enough to give him an idea who really Mikan is…

"Why?" Natsume asked.

Then something silver fell out of Natsume's pocket, Mikan picked it up, and looked at it. "Hey, this thing reminds me of something." she thought to herself.

"Hey, Natsume. Is this thing yours?" Mikan asked.

"Hey, that's mine, what did you do with it?" Natsume said.

"Nothing, but this thing….kinda reminds me of something…Natsume, tell me, are you…" Mikan said.

But before Mikan finished what she was about to say, she failed to notice that Natsume started digging at the place she was previously digging, the exact place where the memory capsule is.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Mikan growled at Natsume, but was just ignored.

Natsume opened the memory capsule.

"Hey, don't open it. It isn't yours, it's mine!" Mikan said

"Then tell me, are you Mimi?" Natsume said, facing her.

Mikan grew silent.

"Why do you ask?" Mikan asked.

"Just answer my question." Natsume said.

Mikan still grew silent, Natsume went close to her, and grabbed the necklace, hanging on Mikan's neck.

"Hey, give it back! It's mine!" Mikan said, trying to retrieve her necklace, from Natsume, but is just raising it higher, after all, he is taller than her.

"Is this really yours?" Natsume said

"Yes, now give it back!" Mikan said

"Then prove it." Natsume said

"Why do you have to know? It doesn't concern you." Mikan said

"Just answer my question." Natsume said sternly.

"I got from my childhood friend, before he left for America. He said he'll return for me, and once we see each other again, we'll be together. That necklace was the mark that I'm the one he promised." Mikan said weakly.

"Then answer me, are you Mimi?" Natsume said.

"If I ever say yes, what would you do?" Mikan asked.

"This." Natsume said, grabbed Mikan's chin, and kissed her.

And Mikan wasn't fighting back, in fact she was responding. Because something in her mind, was saying he was Natsu, the boy she promised. Natsume broke the kiss.

"Now, tell me." Natsume said, smirking.

"Yes, I am Mimi. And something tells me you're Natsu-kun?" Mikan said, smiling.

"Yeah….but now that it's settled, guess we won't need this." Natsume said, going to the memory capsule and getting the letter.

"Mind telling me now what's inside that letter?" Mikan said

"Sure, I wrote about my bottled up feelings for you since when we were kids, and it never changed through time, I can tell you that. I was and still madly in love with you, Mimi." Natsume said, smiling a real genuine smile. After he said that, the chain disappeared.

"Hey, Natsu. The chain is starting to disappear, but I thought that we need the key from the faculty." Mikan said

"Looks like we won't be needing it anymore." Natsume said.

"So should we go back?" Mikan said

"Not just yet." Natsume said, pulling Mikan into another kiss.

But little do they know, that there is someone taking pictures of it:

"Finally, you two recognized." Hotaru said, still taking pictures.

"Yeah, never thought it would take them this long, to figure it out." Ruka said.

"What can they do? They're pretty much dense." Hotaru said

"Good point." Ruka said

"Too dense to even notice we're here." Hotaru said

Ruka touched both Hotaru's shoulders. "Ne, may I look at the photos taken?"

"Sure, whatever." Hotaru said, blushing a little, due to contact.

'Why the heck am I shy of Nogi? Ah, baka, baka." Hotaru thought to herself.

"Wow, these are nice shots." Ruka said

"Thanks." Hotaru said.

aRiKa: and that was chapter 6.

it's late in the evening, time for me to hit the hay. hope you enjoyed this chapter! thanks for the reviews, alerts and faves, I really appreciate it. ^^

one more thing, I can't update for the next two weeks, since we'll be having our exam, and I need to study hard, to pass. so see ya, in two weeks. ^^

please don't forget to rate and review. ^^


	7. Onsen

aRiKa: hi'ya

yAn-yAn: hey, aren't cha supposed to be studying?

aRiKa: yes, but i got bored. so i snuck my way and made this chapter. ^^

yAn-yAn: sigh, our typical aRiKa-chan.

aRiKa: disclaimer please!

Aya: aRiKa-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice.

*cHaPtEr 7: Hot Springs? What are we supposed to do?*

The four then returned to the inn they were staying.

***Mikan's POV***

"Hi'ya guys." I said, waving.

"Hi'ya Mikan-chan...EH? How come you're not chained to Natsume-kun?" Nonoko said

"Uhmm,..long story. And oh, by the way, here's the key to the handcuffs." I said, giving her the key.

"Where'd you get it?" she asked

"I got it from Narumi-sensei, but don't ask how." I said.

They unlocked their handcuffs.

"Ne, guys." Chiu said.

"Nani?" we all said

"E-etto, can we go to an onsen? I really miss going on those." she said.

"Sure thing, no problem." I said

"Hey, how about us?" the boys said.

"Uhmm...you can't go with us." Aya said.

"Aww...why not?" they whined.

"Well,...just because!" she said, haven't thought of an excuse yet.

I giggled. "C'mon guys, I've been begging to find a way to lessen my fatigue."

"See ya later, boys." we said teasingly, as we made our way to the onsen.

The boys then whined. When we were far ahead, I noticed Natsume smirked, on the tree, probably ignoring our talk….or so I think.

***Natsume's POV***

"What the heck are you doing?" I said, arrogantly.

"Following their orders. You know how they can be." Ruka said

I almost forgot that they're scared of the girls, 'cause one time they disobeyed them, they walked home with bruises, and wounds. I smirked at the thought of that.

"Wanna follow them?" I said

They became interested, at the mere thought of it.

"So much, but still scared." Koko, Kitsuneme and Mochu said, at the same time.

"I dunno, maybe they'll kill us now, for sure." Ruka said, rather scared. He's probably thinking about what Imai might do to him.

"Yeah, me too." Iinchou said, agreeing with Ruka.

"Oh c'mon, it's not like they're gonna see us there." Koko said

"It's not like it's not possible for us to go there. I mean, we also can go to an onsen. It isn't against the law. 'Sides, don't you feel tensed? I mean, isn't your body heavy from the trip?" Mochu asked.

He does have a point there.

"Well, I guess you're right. Okay, I guess we'll go." Ruka and Iinchou said at the same time.

"So what are you waiting for, ladies? C'mon!" Kitsuneme said.

_*Moments later…*_

***Normal POV***

Narumi was looking over the place for the group.

"Geez, where are those silly kids?" he thought to himself. He's been looking for them ever since they got the key from him.

Then he saw the group of girls roaming, not handcuffed anymore.

"So they unlocked it? I knew how they did, except for one. How did Mikan-chan and Natsume-kun broke free of the chains? Could they did the second way?... Nah, that's impossible. They both hate each other's guts…or do they? Oh well, might as well just chain them again, but maybe later." Narumi thought to himself and left.

"Wai! I can't wait to go to a hot spring!" Chiu said, enthusiastically.

"Yeah, me too. Been so long since I went to one." Mikan said

They made their way to the bathhouse.

The bathhouse was simple and rustic, it gives off that authentic Japanese air. They entered and Chiu immediately made her way to the clerk.

"Yes, how we may help you?" the lady asked

"I'm Chiu Suzumiya, I'm the one who called earlier." Chiu said

"Oh? You're the one who wanted to rent a room for a few hours?" the lady said

"Yep, since we still need to go back to the inn we're staying." Chiu replied.

"Inn? Are you talking about the famous Sakura Inn?" the lady asked.

"Yep. My grandparents owns it." Mikan said

"Young mistress! It's been so long since I saw you." the lady asked.

"Anika? Is that you?" Mikan said

"Yep." Anika said with a smile.

"Who's she, Mikan-chan?" Nonoko asked.

"Minna, this is Anika Miyazuki, a childhood friend of mine." Mikan said

"Nice to be acquainted with the friends of the young mistress." Anika said as she bowed.

"Young mistress? Why does she call you young mistress?" Anna asked

"Uhmm…you see, when Anika was a child, she had a heart disease. She needed transplant, but Miyuki-san, her mother, doesn't have enough money. So I asked my parents to help her, and the transplant was successful. And here she is now, healthy and lively. She had eternal gratitude, so she treats me as a young mistress." Mikan explained.

"Oh? Is that so?" Sumire asked

Mikan and Anika nodded.

"Ne, young mistress. Where's Hotaru-sama?" Anika asked

"Right here." Hotaru said.

"Hotaru-sama!" Anika said as she ran to Hotaru's direction, but unluckily, was hit with her Baka gun.

"Mou, Hotaru-chan! You didn't have to be mean to Anika-chan." Mikan said, but Hotaru ignored her.

"Well, shall we proceed to the hot spring now?" Aya asked.

"Sure." Anika said

So they made their way to their room, and came out with white towels wrapped around their bodies. They now went to the hot springs. It was unoccupied, so they used the one on the right, the one by the sakura tree.

Little do they know that the boys arrived shortly after them, and are on the other side of the bamboo fence. The girls' and boys' hot springs are separated by a tall bamboo fence, since it would be so wrong for both genders to share one hot spring.

"So, girls, ready to know what really happened?" Mikan asked.

"Hai!" the girls said.

The boys heard this and got interested. So they were listening with what the girls were talking about.

"Okay, here goes. The chain was removed, not because of the key." Mikan started

"Eh? Then how…." Chiu said

"We went to the sakura tree, where Natsu-kun and I promised. I began to dig the place where we buried our memory capsule, to check if it was still there. Then something awkwardly familiar dropped from Natsume's pocket. I picked it up, and asked if it was his. He then asked what the heck I did to it. I told him I just saw it on the ground, and that it's familiar. Then for some reason unexplainable, he then started digging at the spot I was digging, until he reached the memory capsule and he opened it. I grew angry because he doesn't have the right to open it, or so I thought. Then out of the blue, he asked me if I'm Mimi. I just grew silent. I asked him why he would ask. He said for me to just answer the question. I still didn't answer, and then he grabbed my necklace. I told him to give it back while trying to retrieve it back, but he's too tall so I couldn't reach it. He asked me if it's really mine. I said yes, and asked him again to give it back. He asked me to prove it. I growled at him, it doesn't concern him so why would I bother tell him. He just said to answer the question. Thinking he would return my necklace after answering the question, I told him it was from my childhood friend. Then he asked me again if I was Mimi. I told if I ever say yes, what would you do?. He just went closer to me, and we k-k-ki.." Mikan said as she blushed crimson red.

"Kiss?" Aya said.

Mikan then blushed more.

"EH?" the girls, except Hotaru, said

_***Meanwhile….***_

_*On the other side of the fence*_

Natsume blushed at the scene, remembering it.

"What the heck? Dude, why didn't you tell us?" Mochu asked.

"Hn" Natsume said, still blushing.

"Oh come on, dude. How long did you think you could keep your little secret?" Koko said

"You don't have to know." Natsume said, as he drank a cup of mild sake.

"Oh really? Or is it for us not to tease you?" Kitsuneme said. Then he smelled something burning: his hair. He quickly ducked into the hot spring.

"Drop it already!" Natsume growled and then the group grew silent.

_*On the girls' side of the hot spring*_

"Ne, Mikan-chan, why didn't you tell us?" Aya asked

"I just did, and how could I? It was tad embarrassing." Mikan said

"So that's how you broke free." Chiu said, smiling.

"Yeah, but I find it weird, since Narumi-sensei never bothered to mention it." Mikan said, thinking.

"Maybe it's because he found it impossible for somebody to do it." Aya said

"Probably." Mikan said

"Err…guys, I need to say something." Sumire, Anna, Nonoko, and Hotaru said.

"What is it?" Mikan said

"I think I'm starting to like Koko/Yuu/Kitsu/Nogi" Sumire/Anna/Nonoko/Hotaru said all at the same time.

"So?" Chiu said.

"Help us with it." the four maidens in love said.

"Sure, why not? I was expecting for you to fall in love this season anyway." Mikan said

"Hontou? Arigato gozaimasu!" the maidens said, smiling, yes, even Hotaru.

"One of you says anything, will get hit by my Baka Gun 3000, with gyro stabilizers, and multi shots." Hotaru said.

The girls shuddered.

"Well, it's already 8 pm. So shall we?" Chiu said

The girls nodded.

They went to the changing room by the spring.

When they got out, Mikan was wearing a pink yukata with cherry blossoms, Hotaru was wearing a purple yukata with small white flowers, Anna was wearing a peach pink yukata with light blue delphinium flowers, Nonoko was wearing a baby blue yukata with baby pink angel flowers, Sumire was wearing a light green yukata with dandelions, Chiu was wearing a white yukata with various colors of flowers, and Aya was wearing a light brown yukata with red roses.

The boys also went out of the spring, and changed into their yukatas too.

After they changed, they gathered their clothes and returned to the inn they're staying.

aRiKa: that was chapter 7, minna.

yAn-yAn: please forgive aRiKa for uploading this only now. Her schedule was hectic, so she just finds time to write this chapter.

aNn-cHaN: *is busy writing her fanfic*

aRiKa: please don't forget to read Ann-chan's fanfic. Her penname is **runoann31. **She has only written one story, entitled "Princess Runo Misaki". It's a Bakugan fanfic, it's up to its ninth chapter now. I'm positively loving every bit of it. ^_^

yAn-yAn: aRiKa-chan wants to thank you for the reviews, alerts, and faves, and for those silent readers. :D

aNn-cHaN: please don't forget to rate and review. ^^

aRiKa, yAn-yAn, and aNn-cHaN: **Merry Christmas!**


	8. Spying

aRiKa: konichiwa minna

yAn-yAn and aNn-cHaN: konichiwa!

aRiKa: i noticed that chapter 7 has something that's a little shocker for the readers, the OoC confession of Hotaru, right Ann-chan?

aNn-cHaN: yup.

aRiKa: sorry 'bout that, can't resist myself, so I inputted it. ^o^

yAn-yAn: discwaimer pwease!

Mikan: aRiKa doesn't own Gakuen Alice.

*cHaPtEr 8: Chained Again?*

***Mikan's POV***

We arrived on the inn, and oddly, the boys arrived the exact same time as us. Natsume, Iinchou and Ruka-pyon were lightly blushing, while the triplets Koko, Kitsu, and Mochu was rather laughing, but Koko and Kitsu immediately shut up when they looked at Nonoko and Permy. I think they know something they weren't supposed to hear... Could it be... could it be that they're the ones who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? Nah, something simple as that wouldn't make _**the**_ Natsume Hyuuga blush... Could it be that they overheard our conversation back at the bathhouse? Uh-oh! I need to tell the girls **quick** before something else goes wrong.

"Err, guys..." I said

They appointed their attention to me.

"Can we talk somewhere private?" I said

We then made our way to the greenhouse.

"So what is it you want to tell us?" Chiu said

"Is it good news or bad news?" Aya said

"It's bad." I said

"Sakura. quit beating around the bush! Tell us what the hell is it you want to tell us already!" Permy snapped

"Okay, okay, I think the boys overheard your conversation." I said

"What the effing cheese on a cracker!" Permy said

"I noticed it since the boys arrived almost the same time we arrived, they were wearing yukatas, and they were blushing when they snuck a glance at us." I explained to the girls.

"Maybe because of a different reason." Anna said

"Could be, but unlikely." Hotaru said

"What are we going to do?" Nonoko said

"I dunno, but why don't we spy on them?" Chiu said

"If it's the only way to prove it, let's go!" I said

I'm still very much confused how they went to the bathhouse without us noticing.

Hotaru fished something from her bag: headphones.

"What are we going to do with headphones?" Nonoko asked

"They're not your usual headphones; they're used from surveillance and spying purposes. We just focus to the sound we want to listen to, and it'll direct away. These headphones used super sonar hearing, so even if they're far away, we can still listen to their conversation. The glasses that are connected to the headphones are infrared, so we can see through walls. The built-in mic is used so that we can talk to each other." Hotaru explained. We each got a pair of headphones; Hotaru's was shaped like a bear, Anna's was shaped like a star, mine was shaped like a flower, Nonoko's was shaped like a heart, Permy's was shaped like a candy, Chiu's was shaped like a butterfly, and lastly, Aya's was shaped like a cross. We tuned until we heard the boys' voice.

"_There, I hear them."_ I said.

"_Us too."_ they said.

"That was unexpected." Ruka said

"Yeah, never thought the Ice Queen feels something for you, and she admitted it." Kitsu said

"I wonder if they'll found out that we heard what they talked about." Koko said

"That's pretty much very possible." Mochu said

"How come?" Ruka said

"It's because of our reactions when we arrived." Natsume said

"Reactions?" Koko and Kitsu said

"Yeah. Dude, it doesn't take a genius to know we found out their little secret. Your reactions are pretty much obvious, even to Baka Polka." Natsume said

"_Pervert!" _ I said

"And besides we arrived almost the same time as they did." Ruka said

"_He does have a point there." _Hotaru said

"_Now that we have proof, should we stop now?" _Chiu said, pretty much uneasy.

"_Nope." _Hotaru said

"_Why not?"_ I said

"_It's because they might say something that we need to know, or pretty much unexpected."_ Hotaru said

"_Good point." _I said

"_Okay, if you put it that way…"_ Chiu said

"Guys, believe it or not, I think I reciprocate her feelings." Ruka said.

Hotaru blushed on the other side of the wall.

"_So that's what you meant. You're waiting for Ruka-pyon's reply to your confession." _I teased.

"_Urasai!" _Hotaru said, still blushing.

"Me too." Koko said

"Me three." Kitsu said.

"Me four." Iinchou said

Anna, Nonoko and Permy blushed.

"_Ooh, somebody's blushing." _I teased

"_Shut up, Mikan!" _Permy said, whilst Anna and Nonoko just silently blushed.

"Argh, why is it Natsume and I are the only one who doesn't have someone?" Mochu said

"Dude, _**you're**_ the only one who doesn't have someone." Koko said

"He's right." Kitsu said

"Natsume has Mikan-chan, remember? Weren't you even listening?" Ruka said

"Oh yeah, right." Mochu said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure someone will come around." Ruka said.

"Actually, I think I'm falling for Kurusugawa-san." Mochu said

Aya blushed on the other side of the wall.

"Aya-chan?" Ruka said

Mochu nodded.

"Dude, I think you should forget her." Natsume said

"Why?" Mochu said

"Trust me, you don't want to mess with Suzumiya." Natsume said.

"Huh? Chiu? But she's tame as a kitten." Mochu said

"She _looks _like she's tame, but mess with her cousin, she transforms into a monster." Natsume said.

Chiu was red, on the other side, not because of embarrassment, but because of anger. She clenched her fists.

"_Chiu-chan, chill!"_ Aya said

"_But he called me a monster!" _Chiu said

"_Don't let him get to you, especially that you don't wanna burden Kazuki-niichan anymore, do you?" _Aya said

"_Uh-huh." _Chiu said, calming down.

"_Ne, who's Kazuki?" _Anna asked

"_He's my older brother, he took care of me ever since __**that **__happened." _Chiu said, tears welling up.

"_That what?" _Permy asked

"_My parents died when I was little. All because of protecting me and my siblings from harm." _Chiu said, as tears slowly made their way out.

"_I'm sorry." _Permy said

"_It's okay." _Chiu said, as her tears slowly faded.

"_Sorry for interfering with your life, but from what are they protecting you?" _Anna asked

"_From the society, they treat us like pests, just because of the curse." _Aya said

"_Curse?" Nonoko asked_

"_Uh-huh, our family is suffering from a bloodline curse. Each generation of the family contains animal blood flowing in their body. Simply saying, when we go weak, or threatened, we turn into animals." _Aya said

"_But how?" _I asked

"_It started when Kira Kurusugawa and Serina Yamanouji fell in love with each other. Their parents were good friends, so they agreed their relationship. They started their family. But Serina was engaged with Takeshi Suzumiya back then, and that she wasn't married to Kira so she was forced to leave Kira and their son, Aki. After a few years, they met again but Serina was no longer a Yamanouji, but she was now a Suzumiya. Though this, she still loved Kira, but can't anymore because she has now a daughter, Sakura. When Sakura was sixteen, she met Aki, her half brother. Even though they have different fathers, they still love each other as siblings, but little do they know, the Kurusugawa and Suzumiya heads heard about this so they cursed them due to that woman, who had an illegimate son with the rival of the family. And it was passed to generation to generation." _Chiu said

"_Oh is that so?" _I asked

"_Yes."_ Chiu and Aya said

"Maybe you're right, Natsume. It's impossible for Aya to fall in love, so I'll just forget about my love for her." Mochu said

"Good, because I think nobody will ever fall in love with you." Natsume smirked

"Hey!" Mochu said.

"Nah, just joking, man!" Natsume said.

"Now, let's get go get some shut-eye. I'm sleepy." Iinchou said

"Me too. Oyasumi minna." Ruka said, yawning.

"_I think we should go too, it's late." _Anna said

"_Okay." _I said

"_Oyasumi minna." _Aya said

"_Oyasumi." _we replied

We then returned the headphones and went to the room before the boys.

They went to their respective room, only to find their partners asleep. (aRiKa: the partners are boy-girl, Aya and Chiu were an exception, because they're cousins. Also, Mochu's partner is Kusami (you know the dude with the mask Natsume used to borrow in the manga) )

_~At Mochu's room~_

***Mochu's POV***

Looks like Kusami fell asleep early.

Might as well, sleep too. I need to drain my feelings for Aya-san anyways.

I made my way to my bed, and slept like a brick.

_~At Aya's room~_

***Aya's POV***

Well, the girls finally learned the secret.

I feel sorry for Chiu for losing her parents. Oh well, I know tomorrow, she's going to be okay again

The two of us plopped on our beds and slept, since we have a day ahead of us.

***The boys' POVs* **(aRiKa: sorry for these suckish short POVs)

_~At Koko's room~_

I placed my key on the keyhole and the moment I entered, I saw Permy sleeping, wearing her panda shirt, and green pajamas. I wonder if she really meant what she said a moment ago at the bathhouse. Gosh, she looks real cute, right now. I tucked some of the stray hairs on her face, I was wrong, she wasn't cute, she was _**gorgeous**_! Man, I can't stop my hormones, so I kissed her right cheek, and I said "Goodnight, Permy!" I changed my clothes into my sleepwear and I went to sleep.

_~At Kitsu's room~_

I wonder what Nonoko ate, and she said something like that, I mean I like her but… I didn't expect/know that she liked me back. I went inside our room and I saw her in a silk nightgown, sleeping soundly. Guess she was tired from working on her experiments all day. Oh well, might as well just ask her tomorrow, I unconsciously kissed her left cheek and went to my bed and slept.

_~At Yuu's room~_

Why am I still blushing at the thought that she likes me? Well, I didn't think it was possible that she liked me, since I'm pretty much geeky. I wonder if she knows that I like her too, but I don't think I have the guts to tell her that, I mean it's pretty much embarrassing to confess. What if she rejects me? I know that she likes me but that can change easily. I sighed, then I entered only to see Anna sleeping, cuddling her stuffed bear. It's getting late, oh well. I just kissed her forehead and went to sleep.

_~At Ruka's room~_

I entered our room, only to see her sleeping, still wearing her yukata. I guess she was pretty tired from all the happenings today, that she didn't change clothes. I wonder how I can tell her that I love her. I don't think I can bear the pain if she rejects me, being coldhearted is all. But now that I overheard she likes me, I'm relieved. I laid her blanket over her body, kissed her on her nose, and made my way to my bed, and sleep.

_~At Natsume's door~_

I dunno where the baka gets all her confidence. I mean, she had the guts to tell her friends about what happened on the sakura tree by the temple where she used to live when we were kids. I made my way to our shared bedroom, only to see her sleeping on the couch by the corridors. I guess drowsiness got the better of her. Ah well, I carried her bridal style, and went to our shared bedroom. I opened the door, and lay her down gently on her bed. As I lay her down, I noticed she was only wearing her yukata, and that one side was draping on her shoulder. I slightly blushed and covered her with the blanket, kissed her on her lips, and went to sleep.

(aRiKa: what the heck am I thinking?)

_**~The next day…~**_

***Normal POV***

The group woke only to find themselves chained to each other again.

They made their way downstairs, only to see Narumi drinking coffee.

"Oh good morning, my dear students. What makes you go down this early in the morning?" Narumi sweetly asked.

"This." they said, raising up the hands, pointing to the chains.

"Oh that? I'm the one who did that." Narumi said

"But why, sensei? We freed ourselves fair and square." Chiu said.

"It's because _somebody _freed themselves using the second way." Narumi said

'Uh-oh!' Mikan thought.

"What second way, sensei?" Anna said

"You never told us there was a second way." Nonoko said.

"I never told the class, because I thought there was nobody who could do it." Narumi said.

"What is the second way, sensei?" Aya asked.

"The second way is that, both partners show their true feelings for each other." Narumi explained.

"But there is no way somebody did it. I mean, you paired a boy-girl partner who are just friends, or sick of each other." Chiu said.

"Well, do you know who that pair is, sensei?" Permy asked.

"Nope, not yet, but we're searching for them right now." Narumi said

"Well, if that's all there is to it, I'm going back to bed." Natsume said, pulling Mikan along.

"Okay, but be back on 8:00 for breakfast, now please get some sleep now, all of you, you'll be needing it later. Plus it's only 5:00." Narumi said

"Hai. Arigato gozaimasu for clarifying the issue." Nonoko said

"Do itashimashite, Nonoko-chan." Narumi said.

aRiKa: well, that was chapter 8.

yAn-yAn: wow, this is the longest chapter you wrote for this fanfic.

aRiKa: I know. I took me until eleven last night to finish it.

aNn-cHaN: is that so?

aRiKa: hai. thanks for the reviews, alerts, faves! I really appreciate them. ^^

yAn-yAn: also, please answer the poll on aRiKa's profile.

aRiKa, yAn-yAn, and aNn-cHaN: don't forget to rate and review!


	9. Race

aRiKa: konichiwa minna!

yAn-yAn, aNn-cHaN: hi!

aRiKa: hontou gomene for not updating in over a month. i was shouldering a lot of problems the past month, but now it's fine. anyways, disclaimer please! *holds up a Hotaru doll*

Hayate: aRiKa doesn't own Gakuen Alice. *grabs doll and says "Cool Blue Sky!"*

aRiKa: **and oh, one more thing, this chapter would be mostly ****Mikan and Natsume. **_Please tell me if you want to know the others' POVs._

*cHaPtEr 9: Course Relay*

***Day 2: 8:00 am***

***Normal POV***

The group was rather irritated, because they were chained again, even though they got loose of the handcuffs, fair and square, and that they were innocent, but deep down, they sort of like it. Actually, they can actually socialize with their person of affection. If only they knew that pair walks among them *sigh*. Actually, Narumi knew all along that it was Natsume and Mikan who broke free, but he needs more substance. He knew that Mikan would tell him, sooner or later, so he'll just wait for that moment, that is if Mikan could tell him without alarming Natsume.

"Okay class, now for the first activity for this field trip..." Narumi started

"First, each pair will be given two silver bells. You must protect those all that you can within the whole race, as your senpais will be around the area, to get those bells. Each pairs will be given a map and compass. You'll be needing them since there are things you need to do at alloted areas. That's all, and I wish all of you, good luck!"

_~The race started shortly after...~_

"Oh, and one more thing, once a bell or both of the bells are gone, you will face a punishment at the end of the game." Narumi announced.

The class groaned.

"Oh c'mon! I thought he said he was finished just a moment ago!" Koko said

"Now, now, Koko. I'm pretty sure it'll be alright." Sumire said, lightly blushing and calmly.

(aRiKa: O.O first time in history, it's the apocalyse, run! jk :P)

"Uh…erm….ok." Koko said, blushing a little, not used to the calm Sumire.

_~At Hotaru and Ruka~_

Hotaru was riding her frog scooter, totally not giving a care to Ruka.

"Ne, Hotaru-chan, slow down!" Ruka hollered.

Hotaru, of couse, ignored him. She was thinking of a lot of ideas for inventions that would really sell a lot, and is planning to improve the Baka Gun, that she didn't notice the tree and crashed into it. Her scooter was damaged, and she went flying up, due to impact, She just braced for the impact, but it never came.

"Daijobu desu, Hotaru-chan?" Ruka said, supporting her body, his face a little close to hers. She slightly blushed at this, but nodded. He then set her to her feet. She thought she heard Ruka mutter "Yukata."

"Arigato." she said.

"Do itashimashite." he said with a smile.

_~At Iinchou (Yuu) and Anna~_

"Do you want some cookies?" Anna said, offering Yuu some cookies.

"No thanks, I'm full." Yuu said.

But then his stomach grumbled loudly, Anna giggled.

"Oh really? But your stomach say otherwise, c'mon, take a piece, it won't bite." she said, sweetly.

"Ok, I guess it won't hurt to eat one." he said, getting a cookie, and taking a bite.

"Oishi~" he said.

"Hontou? Arigato gozaimasu." she said, with a smile.

"D-do itashimashite." he said, a bit blushing, since his thoughts were filled with her sugar sweet smiles.

"Ne, Yuu-kun." she said.

"N-nani?" he stammered.

"Why were you blushing?" she asked, rather looking innocent.

"W-what?" he said/stuttered.

"Are you sick or anything?" she said, feeling his forehead with hers.

"No,..I'm fine." '_Yes I am sick, love sick that is_.' he said, inching away from Anna.

"Yukata." she said, again smiling.

_~At Kitsu and Nonoko~_

"Kitsu-kun." Nonoko said, out of the blue.

"Nani?" Kitsu asked.

"Do you have someone you like?" she asked.

He then stopped abruptly on his tracks, blushing.

"Huh?" he asked

"I'm just curious, if you have someone you like." she said.

"….Yes, I do. She's sweet, beautiful,….and has the cutest laugh." he said, his blush getting deeper by every syllable.

"Can you also tell me what's her name, and if she's in our school?" '_So I can turn her into a frog.' _she said.

"Secret." he said, smirking.

"Mou, Kitsu-kun, just tell me." she said, almost pleading.

"No way!" he said, his smirk still intact.

"Onegaishimasu?" she said, with puppy dog eyes.

"No." _'*sigh*, if she only knew'_ he said, though in his mind.

_~At Natsume and Mikan~_

Mikan was wondering about something: it seems to her that Narumi knows something. She thinks he knew it was them, all along, but immediately shook it off, when she noticed Natsume, looking straight at her.

"Nani? Is there something on my face?" she asked, as if nothing's wrong.

"Nothing's wrong, but it seems that you're thinking about something." he said.

"I'm not, don't worry." she said, trying to hide the fact, that what he said is true.

He was about to object, but immediately shook off the idea, when he knew it will just get to nowhere, thinking that Mikan's pretty dense to understand it.

"Ne, did you guys went to the bathhouse last night?" she said, trying to break the agonizing silence.

"Hn." he said, and just continued walking.

"Mou, Nattie, just tell." she said.

"No." he deadpanned, obviously irritated.

Then sniffs and small gasps were heard. He looked back, and noticed Mikan, tears forming on her hazel orbs.

"Polka, what the heck…" he said, diverting his attention from her.

"You…don't…even…trust….me…" she said, through sniffs and gasps.

He didn't say anything. He just came closer to her, and locked her on his embrace.

"Yes." he muttered.

"W-what…?" she said

"The answer to your question, yes." he said.

"…..I knew it." she said, no tears visible, and a smirk on her lips.

"The heck, polka…" he stopped shortly.

"…. I never knew you could pull something like that." he said, having a smirk on his own, proud of _**his **_girl.

"Well, what can I say? I learned from the best." she said

***Meanwhile…***

_~Behind the bushes~_

"Look at'em, happily enjoying themselves." a young woman said.

"Yeah, you said it… Let's mess with them, shall we?" a young man said, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Whatever, just don't touch my Cool Blue Sky." another young man said.

"Cut it out, with the Cool Blue Sky already, Hayate. We're already bloody 22." the young man said

"Don't mess with me, just because you're older, Tsubasa-senpai." Hayate said

"Yeah, yeah, Hayate, now. I know this is going to be so much fun!" Tsubasa said.

"I know right, Tsubasa. I'll get to embrace some chicks." unnamed young man, randomly popped out.

With that said, the young woman hit him on the head. **HARD.**

"Whaddya hit me for, Misaki?" unnamed young man said.

"You were being damn perverted, Tono." Misaki said

Tsubasa hit him, on the exact same spot.

"The fuck, Tsubasa?" Tono said, pissed off.

"That's for irritating Misaki, and for popping out of nowhere." Tsubasa said

"I'll show you, you freaking shadow!" Tono said

"Well, whatever." Misaki said, completely ignoring the bad aura coming for the two.

_~Back to the kids…~_

1st challenge: Fallen Angel

_Among the fields, lies purity and darkness. Thou shall search for thee,  
and be marked in history. Light as a feather you go. The next lead shall be presented by Misaki. _

Mikan and Natsume arrived on this part.

"What the heck?" Natsume said, as he read the clue.

"Oh c'mon, it'll be fun." Mikan said, optimistically.

But she lost her hope quickly, when she saw the 5000 hectare rice field.

"Uhhh…. on second thought, maybe we shouldn't continue…" she said, her head down.

He didn't say anything and just burned the whole field to a crisp. Something white and black.

"Wings?" she said

''_I'm going to kill that gay bastard'' _he thought, emitting a dark aura.

"Let's try them on!" she said, grabbing the white one.

"Hn." he ignored her.

At the spur of the moment, bunny ears appeared on her head, and flew up.

She childishly puffed her cheeks.

"Mou, Natsume, you're no fun." she childishly said.

He just ignored her for the second time.

"Onegai..?" she said, pouting, her ears drooping.

"_Must resist, must resist…"_ "Fine" he finally said.

"Yay!" she said, bunny ears flapping nonstop.

He wore the black wings, and suddenly cat ears appeared on his head.

She started enjoying herself, while he stayed on the ground.

"Kawaii!" she said, seeing his cat ears.

"Whatever, Polka." he said, emotionlessly.

"Ne, Natsume, try flying, it's really fun." she said, tugging his hand up.

He lightly blushed but shook it off.

A click of a camera was mutely heard.

"A wonderful piece of art." an anonymous voice said, smiling.

Mikan was having too much fun that she didn't notice that the magic wore off. When she finally noticed, she screamed bloody murder. Thinking it was her end, she just closed her eyes and braced for impact, but it never came, but she heard a soft plop.

"Polka." Natsume muttered.

She slowly opened her eyes, only to see Natsume carrying her, bridal style.

"A-Arigato, Natsume." she said.

"Hn." he said.

"Nice pose you got there, you two." Misaki said, sitting on the bench.

The two blushed, and Natsume settled Mikan on her feet.

"Feh, just give us the clue." he said

"Ok, ok, Mr. Grouchy Pants, here." Misaki said, giving them an envelope.

They opened the envelope and it said:

2nd challenge: Guardian Search

_Along the way, an oasis lies. Pink blankets delicately wraps its large sturdy structure.  
Here, solitude awaits. Look for the divine guardian, and must convince him/her to tell what awaits you_

"…..Narumi-sensei's bedroom?" Mikan commented.

Natsume fought the urge to chuckle, and kept his poker face.

"Baka, it means the sakura tree by the main house." he said.

"Don't call me a baka, Natsu-kun!" she said.

This triggered his memory.

***Flashback***

"_Natsu-kun, can I please go out and play? *cough* *cough*" Mimi said, trying to get up_

"_No, I promised Auntie I won't let you get outside until you get better, so just lie down." he said._

_She then followed._

"_Now, baka, go to sleep." he commanded._

"_Don't..call….me….a….baka….Natsu…kun." she said, drifting to sleep._

"_Hn." he just said, as sleep got to him._

***Flashback over***

"….tsume….Natsume!" Mikan said, snapping him out of his thoughts

"What?" he shot back.

"Are we going on or not?" she said.

"Hn." he said, and started towards the direction of the main house.

They made their way to the tree, only to see Bear, sitting on one of its branches.

"Bear! It's been so long since I saw you!" Mikan said, running to Bear's direction, only to be shot by a baka gun.

Great, now Bear owns a baka gun.

_The heck, Imai. Why'd you give the stupid bear a baka gun? _Natsume thought.

Seeing that it would be useless if in close contact, he just started burning little Bear.

Bear was trying to put out the fire, but nothing happened.

"Enough! Stop burning Bear!" a voice said.

"Kaname-senpai?" Mikan said, rubbing her aching head.

"Tell us the clue, now." Natsume said.

"*sigh* Fine, here." Kaname said, giving Natsume an egg.

"Ne, Kaname-senpai, what are we supposed to do with this?" Mikan asked, confused.

"I'm glad you asked, kouhai. You're supposed to make a hot springs egg, and make something with it. Then give it to either Youichi, or Aoi. Then when it is to their liking, the next clue will appear."

"Uh-oh." Mikan gulped.

"What?" Natsume asked.

Mikan muttered something.

"What? Spit it out, Polka." Natsume growled.

"I said I can't cook, okay? I haven't even tried it once." she admitted.

"Well, you might as well try your luck." he said.

Something hit her: she was still chained to each other, so….

"Ne, Natsume, who's going to the onsen?" she said

"Both of us." he said

"Eh? But, but…" she said

"We can't do anything, unless that gay pixie unlocks this." he said, pointing to the handcuffs.

"Good point. C'mon." she said

***Mikan's POV***

I can't believe I'm going to an onsen with Natsume. He's going to see my body! I'm never gonna be a bride! Lucky Aya-chan and Chiu-chan, they're both girls, and they're cousins. Mou, why was I stuck with this pervert?... Oh yeah, Narumi-sensei paired us up. Oh well, he is my childhood friend, and I could always wear a shirt or something at the onsen.

We then made our way to the onsen.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Mikan-chan. What brings you here?" Anika asked

"Is anyone using the onsen right now?" I asked

"Nope, your school reserved it." she replied.

Perfect!

"Can we use it? We have an errand." I asked

"I know. It's to make an onsen tamago, right? Well, sure, you can use the Hana spring." she replied.

The Hana spring? Wai! It's been so long since I last bathe in it.

"Hana?" Natsume asked me.

"It's the one by a sakura tree, with water lilies floating on the hot spring. It's basically used for relaxation. It gives off a serene atmosphere." I explained

"Never heard of it." he said

"Etto…. It's the one I fell into, back then." I said, slightly blushing.

"Oh, that." he said.

"Yup." I said, smiling.

We then changed into our swimwear, since there's no way we're showing our naked glory to each other.

I was wearing my pink two piece, which the top has a black rose on the middle, and the bottom was black with small pink hearts all over it, while Natsume was wearing black board shorts with flame design near the hems.

Anika handed us another egg.

She pretty much knows I'm clumsy. I mouthed "Arigato" to her, replying to me with a sweet smile.

"Now let's get started." I said cheerfully.

"Hn." he just replied. Typical.

I then waded my foot on the hot spring, when it felt right, I then fully entered my body, into the spring. Natsume then shortly followed.

Anika then brought in mild cold sake. I took a sip, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it tastes good.

"Want some?" I asked Natsume

He then took a sip on my glass.

"Thanks." he silently muttered

I smiled.

We then placed the eggs on a wooden bucket, filled with hot springs water, and let it float on the spring.

Silence then enveloped our surroundings.

"S-so how was your life in the US?" I said, trying to break the ice.

"Boring. Girls always swoon, and ask for my number…" he said

I suddenly felt sad. I wonder why?

"…but I always ignore them, because there is only one girl for me." he said, smirking.

Still ain't feeling better about it.

"W-who's the lucky girl?" I said, trying not to break down.

"You really are stupid, are you?" he said, one of his perfect eyebrows raised up.

I don't get it.

"Mind telling?"

"Nope." he said, smirking.

"Mou, just tell m-mmph…" I was cut by his lips over mine.

I then closed my eyes, and responded to the kiss.

I felt him smirk, but ignored it, since I was drowned by the kiss, then I was back to my senses, when I felt his hands crept up.

"Woah there, partner. Watch where we going." I pushed myself off of him, but to no avail.

What the hell?

He nuzzled my neck, earning from me a soft moan.

"Natsume, stop, stop, stop!" I said, tears made way into my hazel eyes.

He then stopped.

"Sorry, I don't know what got over me." he said, wiping up my tears.

"It's okay, I promise. I'm just…surprised, you know, since I never saw this side of you before." I said, trying not to sound upset.

***Natsume's POV***

What did I just do? I don't know what got over me. Damn hormones.

"Sorry, I don't know what got over me."

"It's okay, I promise. I'm just…surprised, you know, since I never saw this side of you before." she replied, trying to not sound upset.

Feh, as if that's going to work on me.

"Polka, I'm really sorry."

She then hugged me.

"It's okay, I'm not mad. Just surprised, is all." she replied.

I fought the urge to blush, I mean, she has a great body, and a sweet personality.

Somebody fake coughed.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Anika smirked.

We then broke free of each other, slightly blushing.

"I just came here to tell you that you finished part 1 of challenge 3, but….since you two are busy, maybe I should leave the two of you alone…" Anika said.

"Hontou?" Mikan said

Anika nodded.

1 down, 2 to go.

We then got out the hot springs, and changed clothes. I wore a black shirt with a smiley with headphones, listening to music, denim board shorts, black rubber shoes, black wristband, and a silver cross necklace. Mikan wore a pink tank top with black stripes, black short shorts, the heart necklace, a silver charm bracelet, and brown gladiator shoes.

Okay, cooking time.

"So who should we give it to? Youichi, or Aoi?" Polka asked.

Youichi doesn't like hardboiled eggs, so that leaves off Aoi.

"Aoi."

"What does she like?" she asked

Aoi likes common folk foods, so probably ramen.

"Ramen."

"Ramen? But I don't know how to make ramen." she whined.

"*sigh* You're really hopeless. Let's start walking." I said, taking her hand.

She complained, but I paid no heed to it. We arrived at the kitchen. I grabbed a pack of noodles, roast pork, onion, spinach, one hot spring egg, naruto, nori, water, pig bones, sake, fresh ginger, the inedible part of one leek, shiitake mushrooms, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil.

"Now here's the ingredients for shio ramen. I know you can make them, since you make these, for winter, to warm yourself, so don't make any excuse that you don't know how to make one." I commanded.

"Fine, fine, you got me." she replied, then sighed. She grabbed an apron and wore it.

She then started to slice the ginger. After that, she cut the inedible part of the leek into half. She wrapped the bones in cloth and splinter. She then brought the water, bones, sake, ginger, and green into a large pot to boil.

"We need six hours for that to boil, but since we don't have time, I was wondering if you could…"

I knew what she meant, so I used my Alice to make a greater fire, making the time into only 6 minutes. She then checked it, I notice most of the bones dissolved, she then strained it through a muslin cloth. Whatever was on the muslin cloth were set aside, leaving only the broth. She then added extra salt, and then set it aside. She blanched the spinach, and drained it. She squeezed out excess water and then cut it into 5-cm lengths. She then sliced the onion thinly. She boiled the noodles, until it was ready, then drained the water. She also sliced the hot springs egg. She grabbed a bowl, and added spice in it. She then poured broth into it, added the noodles, topped it off with roast pork, spinach, egg, thinly slice onion, naruto, and pickled ginger.

"There, done." she said, wiping the sweat in her forehead.

"Now, to give it to Aoi, she's at the sakura tree, sitting on the branch of it." I said, boredly.

"Why didn't tell me earlier?" she asked

"It's because you never asked." I replied.

"Argh, whatever."

We then made our way to the sakura tree, only to see Aoi sleeping on the branch.

"Aww…. she's just like her brother back then." she commented.

"Hn."

***Normal POV***

They walked to the tree; the aroma of ramen filled the air, waking up a certain raven haired girl.

"Mikan-nee, is that ramen?" Aoi said

"Yup, want some?" Mikan replied.

"Yup!" Aoi replied, went down the branch of the tree.

Mikan smiled, and gave the ramen to Aoi.

"Itadakimasu~" Aoi said, then splitted her chopsticks, and was quickly followed with…

"Oishi~ Arigato gozaimasu, Mikan-nee." Aoi said

"Do itashimashite." Mikan replied.

"Here." Aoi said, giving Mikan an envelope.

"Arigato." Mikan smiled.

"Yorokonde!" Aoi replied.

"Okay, the fourth clue." Mikan opened the envelope, showing a letter that says:

4th challenge: Shooting Star

_A place filled with beautiful lights, soothing surroundings, and outstanding effects.  
Star light, star bright, shines bright, rain or shine, dusk embraces it, with its little friends, search for it. _

Mikan scratched her head, not knowing what it's talking about.

"The planetarium." Natsume said, walking to its direction.

"Hey, wait for me!" she said, following Natsume.

***Mikan's POV***

We went to the planetarium. It was huge. I didn't even know there was a planetarium here, the scenery on the ceiling changes every moment, stars shining bright, and a full moon. It gives the quite fluffy feeling that you're home.

"Let's get started searching for it." I said, energetically.

We searched every nook and cranny of the planetarium, but no dice.

"Ugh, where the fudge is that star?" I whined

"Quit whining, woman." he said, rather irritated.

"Well, excuse me for being whiny!" I growled.

"Hello." a voice said.

It caught me by surprise, so I hid behind Natsume.

"W-who are you?"

"I'm Kagami, the caretaker of the planetarium." she said, smiling. She has black hair, with a red ribbon on the back, a red shirt that has a black hood that says "Serenity" in white loopy letters, black pants that reaches above her knees, and red heels.

"Yoroshiku. I'm Mikan." I said, smiling.

Kagami smiled sweetly at me.

Then I looked up, to see a shining star.

….Wait, a shining star?

…That's it!

"Sugoi!"

I closed my eyes, clasped my hands together, and sang a song.

_**Yoru no Uta by Iwao Junko **_(play this for better effect)

_Yoru no sora ni matataku_

_Tooi kin no hoshi _

_Yuube yume de miageta_

_Kotori to onaji iro _

_Nemurenu yoru ni _

_Hitori utau uta _

_Wataru kaze to issho ni _

_Omoi wo nosete tobu yo _

_Yoru no sora ni kagayaku_

_Tooi gin no tsuki _

_Yuube yume de saite 'ta_

_Nobara to onaji iro_

_Yasashii yoru ni _

_Hitori utau uta _

_Asu wa kimi to utaou _

_Yume no tsubasa ni notte_

_Yasashii yoru ni _

_Hitori utau uta _

_Asu wa kimi to utaou _

_Yume no tsubasa ni notte_

I opened my eyes, revealing Natsume, looking astounded, and something shining shimmering on the palm of my hands. Kagami clapped her hands.

"Nice voice you got there, Mikan-chan. Congratulations! Here's the next clue." she said, smiling. But before I can get the clue, Natsume grabbed it. He opened it, read the content, and burned it… Was that a blush, or my eyes are playing games with me?

The fudge!

"The fudge, Natsume. Why'd you burn it?" I said, angry.

He grabbed my arm, and pulled me.

"Hey, Natsume! What the heck was written on the clue?" I said, struggling to free myself, but he just tightened his grip on me.

We got outside the planetarium.

***Normal POV***

They made their way to the sakura tree.

"Ne, Natsume, what are we doing here?" Mikan said.

"This is where the clue told about." Natsume said

Stars are shining brightly, the full moon, giving off a cloudy light, the cool fog.

He noticed that she was shivering, so he draped his jacket over her.

"Natsume-kun, you'll be cold." she said

"I'm fine, I'm used to this." he replies, silently.

"Arigato gozaimasu." she said, slightly blushing, and wore the jacket, which is a little long to her.

"Hn."

She closed her eyes, and drew herself closer to him.

He then drew himself closer to her, and slowly closed his eyes, until their lips met, for a sweet and gentle kiss.

Fireworks shot up the sky, filling it with different closer.

Her hands traveled to his neck, his hands traveled to her waist, not minding anything, but their kiss, which lasted for a good three minutes, until they broke off, misty eyed.

They stared at each other's eyes, crimson meets hazel.

They then returned to the inn, completely forgetting about a small burned paper.

***Flashback***

He opened the envelope, and read the content, which says:

*5th and last challenge: Goodnight Kiss*

_Full moon, starry night. It's getting dark, and stars are showing themselves.  
Out on this beautiful night, in your precious memorable place, time to seal this race with a kiss~  
Go on, and claim the treasure which is rightfully yours,  
And yes, I know you're the one reading this, Natsume._

_Good night~ ^o^_

***Flashback end***

aRiKa: and that was chapter 9.

yAn-yAn: sorry for the long wait. she just found the notebook where she wrote the whole of this.

aNn-cHaN: I hope you enjoyed this 14 pages of this chapter! ^^

aRiKa: and also sorry for breaking the weekly updates, it's just a lot happened. I hope you understand. I _**may **_update every other week, if I find in my time to write the chapter. I'm really sorry, this was just published now. *bows repeatedly*

aNn-cHaN: aRiKa-chan wants to thank for the review, alerts, and faves. :)

yAn-yAn: don't forget to rate and review, minna. See ya! ^^


	10. Author's Note

aRiKa:

uh, hi guys, sorry if this was late, my freaking pc gave up on me when I was about to finish chapter 10... i'm really sorry, so I'll be in hiatus for a while, until I get my imagination back, again, I'm really sorry I just said this now, sorry, sorry, sorry! *sigh* hope you understand, this is hard for me, but i'm really sorry, i don't know when will I be writing again, so please... don't make this harder for me... so see you around, everyone..


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